Brush cleaning apparatus



Feb. 8, 1955 J. s. SMITH 2,701,376

BRUSH CLEANING APPARATUS v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 8, 1955 J. 5. SMITH 2,701,376

BRUSH CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 'NVENTOR. ADM/[5 J. 5/11/76 B-Y 9 M j Z 7- 6 Y I ATTORNEYS BRUSH CLEANING APPARATUS James S. Smith, Charlotte, N. C.

Appiication October 2, 1950, Serial No. 187,977

2. Claims. (Cl. 15-4) This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning brushes and more especially toan apparatusfor, removing foreign material from brushes of. the type having an elongated handle and a narrow row of bristles depending therefrom such as brushes used for cleaning textile card clothing and removing lint and the like from textile machinery.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for cleaning brushes comprising a frame having a bed plate and an intermediate horizontal shelf anda housing secured around said frame with-a slot extending across the upper portion of the housing and through the opposed ends of the frame. A rotary shaft is mountedonthe horizontal shelf and has a. wheel fixedly secured: on one end thereof, the wheel being'providedt with a, plurality of removable pointed spikes, and arotary brush is fixedly mounted on the "other end of the shaft, the wheel and brush being disposed in alinement with the slot in the housing. Means are provided for driving the rotary shaft to rotate the wheel and brush so. that a brush may be moved through theslot in'the housing to be engaged by the spikes on the rotary wheel. for cleaning foreign material therefrom and to. then be engaged by the rotary brush where the bristles of the brush are straightened and additional foreignv matter is removed. If desired the brush canthen be reversed to present the other side of the'same to-the spikes and theirotary brush as it is passed through the slot.

It is another object of thisiinvention to-provide-in a housing having a slot extending therethrough, electrically driven means for separating the. bristles of a brush passed through said slot.andelectricallydriven means for cleaning andv straightening'said bristles after the'same have passed the first of said-driven means.

It is another objectqofv this inventionto provide means especially adapted to. cleanbrushes; of the type: described and which may also be used totclean the bristles-of'any type of brush or broom andsaid improved, brush: cleaning apparatus being provided, with a slot" in the, upper portion thereof which -is adjustable as to width" to permit brushes of various sizesto be passed therethrough.

Some of the objects of, the inventionhavingbeen'. stated other objects will appear as; the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is an isometric view of the improved brush cleaning apparatus;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along'the line 22 in Figure 1 andvshowing the wheelhavii1g spikes therein;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional'view takenalong'the line 3-3 in Figure 1 showing,,the rotary brush;

Figure 4 is a frontelevation of the improved brush cleaning apparatus withthe cover thereof removed;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the improved brush cleaning apparatus with a portion of the cover: broken away for purposes of clarity;

Figure 6 is an elevation of a brushofthe type which may be cleaned by thisapparatus;

Figure 7 is a verticalsectional'view. through thewheel, taken substantially alongtheline. 7+-7' in FigureS'and showing the manner in which the spikes are secured in the wheel.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a bed plate of a housing or frame having end walls 11 and 12 secured at their lower edges to the opposed edges of the bed plate 10 as by screws States Patent 0 2,701,376 Patented Feb. 8, 1955 13. The end walls 11 and 12 are of substantially the same construction, being symmetrical, and are preferably substantially rectangular in shape with the upper portions thereof being rounded and each of these walls 11 and 12 is provided with a laterally extending projection 15 and 16, respectively, at the upper portion thereof for purposes to be later described.

A horizontal shelf spans the distance between the end walls 15 and 16 intermediate the vertical height thereof and is preferably fitted into suitable slots 1e and 19, respectively, on the inner surfaces of the end walls 11 and 12 andis secured in position by any suitable means such as screws 20. The horizontal shelf 17 is disposed in horizontal alinement with the lower portion of the laterally extending projections 15 and 16 of the end walls 11 and 12'. The frame comprising the elements 10, 11,12 and 17 may be. formed of any suitable material such as cast aluminum or the like.

A side wall, 22 formed-of any suitable material such as sheet metal and the like is suitably secured to one of the, edges of the base plate 16 and to one. of the side edges of the end walls 11 and 12 as by screws 23, the side wall 22' extending upwardly around the curved upper portion of the end walls 11 and 12 to a point substantially intermediate the width of the upper surface of said wall to form a'portion of a top wall. A second side wall 24 isprovided whichmay be formed, from any suitable material such assheet metal and the like andwhich has its lower edge secured tothe edge of the base plate 10 opposed frornthe-side walls 22' by any suitable means such as screws 25 and the side wall 24 extends upwardly and stops at a point adjacent the horizontal shelf 17. A third side wall and top wall member 26 is secured to the outer edges of the laterally extending projections 15 and 16 of the end walls 11 and 12 and extends upwardly and is secured to theuppersurface of the end walls 11 and 12 and stops intermediate the width of the upper surface ofithe end walls 11 and 12 in spaced relation to the upper edge of they side wall'22 to thus form the other portion of the top wall. The third side wall.26 is secured to the end walls 11. and 12 by any suitable means such as screws-27.

Adjustably securedtothe proximate edges of the side walls. 22 and? 26 are guide plates 30 and 31, the guide plates 30 and 31 being adjustably secured by means of screws 33 penetrating suitable slots 34 in the opposed ends-of; the guideplates 301and 31'and also penetrating the upper portions of the endplates 11 and 12. The guide plates 30 and '31 may beadjusted to form a longitudinally extending slot 3S therebetween.

The end wall 11' is provided with a cut-out slot 36 and the end wall 12'is provided with a corresponding cut-out slot 37 in alinement with the slot 35. The slot formed; by the spacebetween the members 30 and 31 and the' cut-outs 36 and 37? forms a longitudinally extending slot or groove through the upper portion of the housing of the apparatus and throughwhich a brush, such as a brush shown in Figure, 6, may be passed to be cleaned; The end Walls 11 and 12 are also provided with suitable handles 381secured thereto as by screws 39 for-transporting the improved brush cleaning apparatus.

This apparatus is not restricted in use to the particular type of brush shown inFigure 6 buttmay be used for cleaning various types of brushes or brooms. The brush illustrated in Figure 6 has a bristle holding portion or back it? andhas a handleportion 41 and a plurality of bristles 42 extending from the back 41 Means are provided insidetof the housing which are adapted to engage thebristles 42 of the back 49 to remove foreign matter therefrom and to disentangle the same andmeans are also provided to clean said bristles and to realine the same as they are passed through the slot 35in the housing. To this end, support blocks 1-5 and 46 areflsuitably secured to the horizontal shelf 1721s by bolts 47 and 48 and suitably secured to the upper surfaces of the support blocks and 46 are bearing blocks 50 and 51.

The blocks 45 and 46 and their associated bearing blocks 50 and 51 are disposed in spaced relation to each other and the bearing blocks 50 and 51 have a longia nut 56 threadably mounted on the free "endof said 1 shaft and abutting the hub portion '54. I

The outer circumference or flange of the wheel 53 is provided with a plurality of bores 58 extending in 'a diagonal line across the periphery of said Wheel, at least two of said lines of bores preferablybeing provided and the bores 58 preferably extend through the flange 55 of the wheel 53. A plurality of pointed spikes 60 are removably and adjustably secured one in each of the bores 58 by means of set screws 61 threadably'secured in bores 62 in the flange 55 which bores 62 are disposed in alinement with the bores 58 but extending in angular relation thereto and coincide with said "bores58 on the interior of the flange of the wheel 53 (Figure 7). The end of each of the set screws 61 will thus engage the portion-of the spike 60 embedded in the corresponding bore 58 to'hol'd the spikes '68 securely in position. By mounting the spikes 60 in this manner they may be adjusted or removed or replaced as desired.

The end of the rotary shaft remote from the end to which the wheel 53 is secured is provided with-a rotary brush 65 fixedly secured thereon as by a nut 66threadably mounted on the end of the rotary shaft 52. The rotary brush 65 may be of any desired construction but is preferably provided with a hub portion 67 in a plurality of radially extending bristles 68 which are preferably metallic.

The rotary shaft 52 is driven by means 'of a sheave 70 suitably secured to the rotary shaft 52 intermediate the bearing blocks 50 and 51 as by a set screw 71 and a pulley 73 which extends over the sheave 70 and around a second sheave 75 suitably secured on a shaft 76 of a suitable electric motor 77. The motor '77 is provided with wires 80 and 81 within a cable 82 which extend to a manually operable conventional switch 83 secured in the end wall 11 as by screws 84. Suitable wires 85 and 86 extend from the switch 83 to a suitable source of'electrical energy, not shown. The motor 77 is mounted in a suitable bracket 88 secured to the base plate 10 as by screws 89.

It will thus be observed that by :moving the switch 83 ell) apparatus by sliding the same longitudinally through the slot 35 and the bristles 42 will first be engaged by the spikes 60 extending from the wheel 53 to disentangle the bristles 42 and as the brush is moved through the machine, the bristles 42 are then engaged by the bristles 68 of the rotary brush 65 to remove additional foreign matter from the bristles 42 and to straighten and aline the bristles 42. If desired, the brush 40 can then be moved back throughthe machine in reverse direction to cause the rotary brush 65 and the spikes 60 to engage the bristles 4-2 from an opposite direction to further clean the same.

The laterally extending projections 15 and 16 on the end walls 11 and 12 are provided to form an opening 90 through which trash and the like removed from a brush 40 may fall or be removed.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used'in a descriptive and generic sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

comprising a housing having a top and end walls, latera'llyex'tendin'g projectionson theupper portions of said end walls and at corresponding side edges thereof, first and second opposed side walls, the first side wall closing the side of the housing opposite from said projections, the second side wall closing the lower portion of said housing below said projections, a third side wall connected to and spanning the distance between the side edges of said projections, the upper and lower edges of the respective second and third side walls defining an opening therebetween, a'shaft rotatably mounted in said housing and extending longitudinally of the housing, a spiked Wheel secured to one'end of said shaft, a rotary brush secured on the other end of said shaft, means for driving said shaft, said housing being provided with a slot in the top and end walls thereof and extending longitudinally thereof in the longitudinal plane of said shaft whereby a brush having bristles thereon may be inserted downwardly through the slot in one end wall and moved longitudina'lly of the slot and-out of the slot in the other end wall to permit the bristles thereon to be engaged first by said spikes and secondly by said rotary brush for cleaning thesame whereby the foreign matter removed from a brush maybe expelled through said opening by the spiked wheel and rotary brush.

2. Apparatus for removing foreign matter from the bristlesof hand bru'shesyand the like having a back and bristlesextending therefrom, comprising a housing having a top wall and end walls, laterally extending projections on the outer portions -of 'said end Walls and at corresponding side edges thereo f,first and second opposed side Walls, the first side wall closing the side of the housing opposite from said projections, the second side wall closing the lower portion of said housing below said project-ions, 'a'third side wall connected to and spanning the distance between the side edges of said projections, the upper and lower ed'ges'of the respective second and third sidewalls defining an opening therebetween, said first and third side walls extending inwardly toward each other at theirupper ends to form-s'aidtop wall'and having their proximateedges disposed .in spacedrelation to each other to form a longitudinally extending slot in said housing, guide plates adjustably secured adjacent each "side of said slot for "varying the width of said slot, said end walls also being provided with slots therein in alinement with the slotin the top of the apparatust'o permit the brush being cleaned to be passed through said slot with the bristles thereof depending into said apparatus, and means within said apparatus for cleaning said bristles as they are passed therethrough,"comprising a'driven rotary shaft disposed below the slot in the top wall and extending longitudinally of the housing, a spiked wheel mounted on the shaft near one end thereof and'a circular brush mounted on the shaft near the other end thereof so that a hand brush can have its bristles inserted through the slot in one end walland drawn along the slot in the top wall and through the slot in the other end Wall to successively present the bristles of the hand brush to the spiked wheel and to the circular brush whereby the foreign matter removed from a brush may be-expelled through said opening bythe spiked 'wheela'nd rotary brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

